Those are lines from a John Denver song. I have always loved it ever since I can remember, and since it was released in 1974, that’s about all my life. It’s called Annie’s Song because he wrote it for his wife, but on days when I feel down or alone, I play it and imagine sitting with Jesus under the shade of a large oak tree, just the two of us, alone, in the middle of nowhere. He wouldn’t necessarily be saying the words to me, but more that I can feel them in his eyes and in his manner towards me. I wish that I could say the situation was reversed, but I am terrible at expressing love, but He would know that and understand.

So for those, who might need this song and your time alone with Jesus, wherever that may be, I am including all the lyrics and a YouTube video. May God bless you, and I hope you find comfort in the song on a day you need it.

You fill up my senses
Like a night in a forest
Like the mountains in springtime
Like a walk in the rain
Like a storm in the desert
Like a sleepy blue ocean
You fill up my senses
Come fill me again

There is no beginning; there is no today; there is no future, and there, certainly, is no end. There is only the Spirit of God, which is always true and always loving, and the Spirit conforms for no one. The Spirit is pure love.

Unfortunately, the human race loathes the Spirit and ignores the message delivered so long ago by the Savior, Jesus Christ – love our God and love His offspring – the heart of the Spirit, the essence of God, the only real purpose to this gift called life, to love as the Spirit.

Yet, we ignore the Spirit by constructing boxes to bind our human beliefs. We ignore the Spirit by following random words in a printed book to justify our actions. The Spirit is not bound by walls or written in some book. The Spirit does not sit in a pew or sing “amen.” The Spirit lives in the blades of grass, the trunk of a tree, the wings of a bird, the roar of a lion, the cry of a baby, and in the tears of the lonely. The Spirit beats in the hearts of all creatures, then, now, and forever. The Spirit bestows meaning to the Universe and binds atoms millions of light years apart. No matter how much we attempt to mold the Spirit to our feeble minds…the Spirit just is.

Love our God and love His offspring. Not impossible to do but improbable to accomplish. We are full of hate and fear and cast judgement on all that has been placed before us. We shove God’s Spirit out of our lives because love is hard. Love is impossible without forgiveness, and forgiveness is impossible without losing your hate, fear, and pride. For love to be first, you must be last; you must become forgotten. And that is something most people will not embrace.

God loves us. His mercy knows no ends. His compassion is limitless, but as we are reminded so many times by Jesus, there will be wailing and gnashing of teeth for our God is also just. Those that flaunt what they think they know shall be ravaged by death, those that pretend to know shall be pushed aside, and those that have never known shall be embraced in His glory. The Lord God sent his message to open the eyes of a few that once knew and to reach those who, deep inside, always knew.

Those that are saved are not those that lead. Those that are saved are those that are forgotten.

Love. So much has been written, sung, created, joined, saved, married, and born… a universe generated from our God’s love, LOVE so powerful, that, from that love, life burst forth from nothing. God loved life beyond our comprehension that somehow, a universe grew from that love. In that split second of the big bang our souls grabbed ahold of a teeny, tiny piece of that love, and we have been happy sad laughing crying jumping crawling all at the same time, and this, THIS moves this fragile life of ours. You feel it swell in your chest that you lose your breath and your stomach quivers. You digest it to the point of exhaustion and your legs are weak. (more…)

the rain tapping the glass
warm water on my face
the key starting the car
a drive on a rugged street
a child’s wave as I pass
my boss’ pat on the back
the job getting done
a cold sandwich for lunch
a paycheck to cash
my friend’s help when I need it
favorite song on the radio
the supper filling my belly
the moon in the sky
a cricket in the grass
my son’s hug when I’m tired
him telling me ‘I love you’
and kissing me goodnight

Once in the dark
I got a chance to speak.
“Thank you, God. I love you too.”